The football season is (finally) upon us. On Sunday http://www.carolinapanthersteamonline.com/wes-horton-jersey , the Panthers kick things off with a home game versus the Cowboys. Both teams on paper match up fairly. Like the Panthers, the Cowboys are battling their own set of injuries on the offensive line. Both teams sport a quarterback able to control the game and both have a defense that’s talented. But the one position that could control tempo of the game for either team is running back. Ezekiel Elliott battled the drama of a looming six-game suspension last season for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Elliott faced his suspension the latter half of the season but not without making some noise first. In a matter of 10 games, Elliott managed to rush for 983 yards. He’s fast, he has power, he has agility, and he’s one of the best in the NFL. There’s also no doubt about it, Elliott will be ready to play on Sunday and he’ll be running harder than ever. The Cowboys have an up and coming quarterback in Dak Prescott. However, Prescott doesn’t have the same talent at wide receiver he once had with the release of Dez Bryant in the offseason. Dallas has a young receiver in Michael Gallup and their other option is Allen Hurns — a former Jaguars standout. If things go faulty Authentic Trai Turner Jersey , Cowboys will have to rely heavily on Elliott. Thankfully for the Panthers, they have one of the best defenders in the league in Luke Kuechly. Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said in the offseason that he’d like to see Christian McCaffrey get 25-30 touches per game. It’s also clear that first year offensive coordinator Norv Turner anticipates a running back who can tear up a defense on every down. Christian McCaffrey can run routes and run the ball out of the backfield. He is versatile in terms of style. Cam Newton can throw and he can run. Unfortunately for Newton, he’s now backed up by a patchwork version of an offensive line. DeMarcus Lawrence is a beast of a defensive end and is Dallas’ best defensive player. Last season, Lawrence had a career high 14.5 sacks and is looking for another stellar season. Newton will be pressured and he could be stopped if Taylor Moton doesn’t play his part. In turn, CMC could be the game changer if things don’t go well in the air. With pressure in the air for both teams, there will be plenty of running on the field. Whoever can utilize their run game better will likely take the win. The Lions play their next three games at home at climate-controlled Ford Field. They go to Arizona the following week.So it made perfect sense that the Lions would hold Thursday’s practice outside in the snow.Or at least it made perfect sense to coach Matt Patricia, who wore shorts on the 33-degree day.“If I was the coach, you know what we鈥檇 be doing Womens Torrey Smith Jersey ,” cornerback Darius Slay said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.The Lions have an indoor practice facility, which former coach Jim Caldwell preferred when it rained or snowed. Patricia obviously has other ideas.Detroit’s only two cold-weather games come later in December with trips to Buffalo and Green Bay.The Panthers, who play at Detroit on Sunday, canceled practice Thursday because of heavy rain in Charlotte. They do not have an indoor practice facility.Which begs the question: How does an NFL team not have an indoor practice facility? Most major college football teams have indoor practice facilities as do many Texas high school football teams.